Payton laments loss of Bushrod

Saints coach credits Bears left tackle with lot of his team's past success

October 03, 2013|By Rich Campbell, Chicago Tribune reporter

Saints coach Sean Payton sounded genuinely disappointed Wednesday. Jermon Bushrod was the Saints' left tackle for the last four seasons. Now he plays for the Bears.

"He has been involved in a lot of our success, and he's also a personality you miss," Payton said during a teleconference. "He just had a way about him coming to work and doing his job on a very consistent basis."

The Saints drafted Bushrod in the fourth round out of Towson, an FCS school in Maryland, in 2007. When Pro Bowl left tackle Jammal Brown missed the 2009 season with a hip injury, Bushrod took over and never relinquished the job.

He started in the Saints' Super Bowl victory in February 2010 and made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons. He signed a five-year free-agent contract with the Bears during the offseason.

"I have some good friends on that team," Bushrod said. "They gave me an opportunity coming out, so I have a lot of love for them. But I'm a Bear now and I'm trying to get it done this year."

Bears coaches haven't questioned him for information about the Saints.

"They see what they have to see on tape," Bushrod said.

Growing injury list: After the Bears went the first week of the season with a clean injury report, their list continues to expand. They were without three starters at practice Wednesday.

Cornerback Charles Tillman was held out of the team's Wednesday practice for a third consecutive week, a precautionary measure as the veteran continues to work through a groin injury.

Tillman has not been a full practice participant since Week 2 but has yet to miss a game with his knee and groin setbacks.

Defensive tackle Stephen Paea sat out with a bruised toe and receiver Brandon Marshall sat out with a foot injury.

Thug talk: Lions vice chairman Bill Ford referred to the Bears as "a bunch of thugs" during a team charity function Tuesday. A team spokesman later said Ford was joking, according to the Detroit Free Press.

"We're tougher than we thought we were; people are realizing that," Bears cornerback Tim Jennings said. "So he wanna call us thugs, we can take that as a compliment, I guess. We like to think we're playing nasty, but we play within the rules, you know? I don't know whether he's just meaning we're dirty or we're just a nasty defense. We weren't too nasty when we played them, so I don't know what he's trying to get out of it."